I'm a new goose mama here - how fast do they grow?

[TheJeweledHorn]

I've never owned geese before and have 11 new little ones, 5 American buffs and 6 white Embdens, which arrived yesterday. They're eating and drinking voraciously. I'm brooding them at home right now in a large plastic bin, but it already seems too crowded! I was browsing on here and was shocked to see pictures of five week old goslings; they look huge! And feathered!

Does anyone have a timetable suggestion for how quickly they grow? I was hoping to keep them at home for 2 weeks before taking them to live at the farm where I work, where they'll live with chickens.

Thanks in advance! Oh, and here's a picture of my setup. Note that the little mason jar waterer has already been replaced with a gallon waterer because gosh howdy they drink fast...!

 

[8GeeseALaying]

Wolfie,
I have two ducklings doing the same thing. I was told to give them niacin tablets in their water and food, because they could be deficient and waterfowl need niacin. I started giving it to them(all of them) and my two floppers have started to get better. Niacin deficiencey causes leg problems. The dosage is 100mg per gallon of water and 100-150mg per 1cup of food. Get regular niacin, you DO NOT want the no flush or flush free kind it doesnt work. Most drug stores carry it, it is a type of vitamin B3 so it will be in the vitamin/supplement aisle. Its not expensive i only paid $4 for 100 pills but that may vary.
Give it a try. It is something that they need anyway. Plus plenty of grazing. Niacin occurs naturally in grass and leafy greens. Also i have read on here that some people give theirs some frozen peas thawed in the microwave enough to take the chill off. Peas have niacin in them too, it has to be frozen because other types have had it cooked out of them. Hope it helps and that your lil gosling gets better.

 

[Nyssa03]

Hi - Welcome to BYC -- I can't give you a time table - but I can tell you mine are about a week old now and have at least doubled in size. We use a huge stock tank as their brooder (in the middle of our living-room). From your picture I would say you are going to need lots more room right away. Holderread's book on Geese recommends 3/4 sq ft floor space per bird for the first week. 1 1/2 sq ft for the second week. then 4-5 sq ft up to four weeks. Hope that helps a little

 

[The goose girl]

I've weighed my new gosling almost every day, and it's truly amazing how fast she grows.

Age and weight chart:
3 days: 140 grams (5 oz.)
1 week: 370 grams (13 oz.)
2 weeks: 997 grams (35 oz.)
3 weeks: 1800 grams (63 oz.)
4 weeks: 2492 grams (88 oz.)

In the first two weeks she grew seven times times bigger!

 

[TheJeweledHorn]

Oh my gosh. These guys might be going to live at my farm sooner than I thought! Thanks very much for the ideas, guys. That is pretty rapid.

 

[Ms Ellen]

Someone thought my 5 week olds were grown ducks yesterday. LOL. They are holding their own with the chickens now, even the roosters.

 

[TheJeweledHorn]

So after thinking about it, today at the farm I'm going to prep their area for them in the chicken house, and after letting it warm up for a few days, they'll go to live at the farm on Tuesday. I'm sad they won't get to stay with me at home longer, but I'll still see them almost every day at the farm. I hope that when new people see them they're still imprinted on me...!

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

I love my geese, they are just wonderful. I used to have an Embden gander when growing up and now have almost 3 week old (Monday) French Toulouse. They are just as silly and just as talkative and affectionate as my other goose. I have posted some pictures below of when I first received them, at 9 days old and then today at 19 days old. They are going to be big mooses so I suppose they have to get there somehow. LOL.


2 days old


9 days old



19 days old

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

They grow very quickly, I cannot switch them over to bigger brooders fast enough! LOL

Some of my goslings of various ages:








~ Aspen

 

[Wolfie Huff]

I'm a new goose mom. Is the area for one goose rea small to start. My egbert falls over and gets scared real easy. sometimes he falls on his back and can't get back up. Im worried that he cant walk normal.